Gas fired water heater



Aug., M WM H. J. @ARSQN 2563?@39? GAS FIRED WATER HEATER Filed Sept. 25, 1947 Flo@ ` t IN V ENTOR.

Patented ug. 14, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENTY OFFICE GAS FIRED WATER HEATER Hiram J. Carson, Omaha, Nebr.

Application September 25, 1947, Serial o. 776,087

2 Claims. l

This invention relates to improvements in gas red water heaters of the storage type of the character disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,816,419, issued July 28, 1931.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a heater in which the water will be heated at a rapid rate in a tank of a given size with very high efhciency throughout, including low stand-by heat losses when the water is heated and the burner is off, which heater employs a convection type heat transfer element. Also insulation may be provided on the upper water tank surface. In this improved heater the temperature of the water in the upper portion of the tank is kept within a practicable range with the temperature of the water in the remainder of the water heater tank.

The features of this high capacity and highly efficient water heater are shown in the drawings in which:

' Figure 1 is a sectional view of the water heater structure; Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional fragmentary View of the upper portion of the water heater structure; Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4--4 of Figure 1.

In Figure 1 a Water containing tank 5 with inlet and outlet tubes 5a and 5b respectively with a vertical tube 6 which may have a lower enlarged section 8a as shown, is shown placed concentrically within an insulating casing 1 with `an annular space 8 and an upper space 9 between the tank and the casing with both supported in any suitable manner as by a base I0. The annular space 8 opens into a vent II which is shown equipped with a draft hood I2.

A burner I3 of the ribbon or other type having the capacity to burn gas in large volume for a given port area which may be operated by hand or any suitable automatic means and supported in any suitable manner, is shown with a flame I4 extending within the tube 8a. The tube Bb may extend below the bottom of the water heater tank as shown and may be slotted to allow free access of secondary air to the burner which supplements the air admitted through the burner from below.

At I5 is shown a convection type heat transfer element for greatly increasing the amount of heat transferred from the flame I4 to the tube 6a. This element is preferably of metal having spirally arranged ns on the exterior surface thereof as indicated at I5a, for swirling the burned gases and causing intimate contact of the burned gases and the tube 6a, thereby greatly increasing the transfer of heat by convection from the burned gases to the water through the tube 6a. The burned gases pass from the tube portion 8a upwardly through the tube 6 which may be reduced in size as shown or carried on vertically through its length of the same diameter as the Ba portion and over the insulation I6 on top of the tank 5 as shown down through the annular space 8 into the vent II and through the draft hood I2 to the chimney or stack. This convection type heat transfer element is most important in transmitting heat to the -water through the lower portion of the tube thereby causing the water to be heated relatively uniformly at the different elevations in the tank.

The insulation I6 diminishes the transfer of heat from the burned gases to the top portion of the tank before the descent of the burned gases downwardly through the annular space 8 and thence out through vent II. Otherwise except for the effect of the convection type heat transfer element herein described, the water in the top portion of the tank may be quickly heated to too high a temperature `in relation to the temperature of the water in the remainder of the tank.

In the gas red water heater described in my prior Patent No. 1,816,419 gas could not be burned in sufcient quantity for maintaining the necessary stack temperature, and the temperature of the water in the upper portion of the tank became too hot too quickly in relation to the temperature of the other water in the tank.

The improvements in this water heater are: (a) Burning gas in a relatively high volume and heat content in relation to the size and length of the water storage tank, thereby providing a high rate of recovery and a resultant high capacity heater, and (b) Utilizing the gas so burned at a very high efficiency, and (c) With the water in the tank heated and the burner off the heat losses are at a minimum because there is no circulation of air upward through the heater and down through the annular space around the tank into the vent or stack, and (d) The provision of insulation on the upper water tank surface in combination with the greatly increased transfer of heat by the convection type heat transfer element diminishes the heat absorption by the water in the upper portion of the tank such that the temperature of the Water in the upper portion of the tank is kept within a practicable range with the temperature of the water in the remainder of the water heater tank.

The invention accordingly provides a simple.

highly efficient and high capacity Water heater in which an increased amount of heat is absorbed by the water by convection from the burned gases as in the tube 6a and the fast and eflicient absorption of a large amount of heat through the relatively large tank wall area 5 before passing into vent Il with the insulation diminishing the absorptionv ofl the heat in; the upper portion of the tank,r all `such that the temperatures: ofthe water throughout the height of the tank are maintained within practicable limits.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A gas tired Water heater, comprising a Water storage tank having a vertical tube. extending therethrough to provide an uptake passage for products of combustion, an outer heat insulating casing enclosing said tank and spaced therefrom along the sides and at the top of the tank to provide a passage f or productsof combustion over. the top ofthe tankcommunicating with an annular downtake passage surrounding said tank, said downtake passage having'an outlet in the lower portion of said casing for the products of com,- bustjion, a gas iburner inl proximity to the bottomY of said tube, and a substantially cylindrical metallic member havingits bottom end closed and supported by the top ofA said burner, said cylinn dricall mem-ber having spirally arranged ns on its outer surface to constitute a convection type heat transfer element in the lower portion of the tube thereby increasing the transfer of heat by convection from the burned gases through the tube wall to the water in the lower portion of the tank, said products .o f combustion thereafter passing upwardly through said tube and thence over the top of said tank and downwardly around the tank to said outlet,ywhereby the water is heat ed to a relatively. uniform temperature throughout,y the tank.

2. A gas red: Water heater, comprising a water storage tank having a vertical tube extendingA therethrough to provide an uptake passageV for products of combustion., an outer heat ir-isulating casing enclosing said tank and spaced therefrom along the sides and at the top of the tank to provide a passage for products of combustion over the top of the tank communicating with an annular downtake passage surrounding said tank, said downtake passage having an outlet in the lower portion of said casing for the productsA of combustion, a gasburnerinproximity to the Ibottoniv of said tube, and ai substantially cylindrical metallic member having its bottom end closed and supported by the top of said burner, said cylindrical member having spirally arranged ns on its outer surface to constitute a convection type heat transfer element in the lower portion of the tube, thereby increasing the transfer of heat by convection from the burned gases through the tube wall to the water in the lower portion of the tank, the top surface of said tank having heat insulation thereover spaced inwardlyl for its entire area from said outer tank enclosing heat insulating casing, whereby said products. of combustion from said heat transfer element pass upwardly through 'said tube andthence over the entireins'ulatedv top surfacel of said tank andA downwardly around' the tank to said outletLWhereby the Waterl is heated to a, relatively uniform temperature throughout the tank.

' HIRAM J. CARSQN,

REFERENCES CITED The following references` are of record inthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

